Cogent strikes chemicals 'gold' in Europe
28 Apr 2011
Brussels – The European Chemical Employers Group (ECEG) and the European Mine, Chemical and Energy Workers’ Federation (EMCEF) have signed an agreement on job competencies and training covering the chemical sector in all 27 EU countries.
The agreement will promote European take up of the Cogent Gold Standard – a “world-class,” competency framework for job roles in the process industries,” said UK chemicals sector skills body Cogent, which developed the standard with cross-industry input.
According to Cogent, the deal is the first of its type in the chemical industry and only the second across all European sectors related to training, education and lifelong learning .
“This is a strong example of how the trade unions and employers in the chemical sector have worked to help businesses and workforces through the global economic crisis and build a platform for sustainable growth,” said a Cogent press release.
“Future needs for good training and skilled employees in times of demographic changes and an ageing workforce was one of the drivers in the negotiation of this agreement. Anticipating demographic risks and preparing to tackle this challenge is a key issue for the future of a sustainable European chemical industry.”
“This agreement is a further sign of the importance that a well qualified workforce plays for science-based production and the chemical industry as a whole,” said Reinhard Reibsch, secretary general of EMCEF.
John Holton, Cogent strategy director, added: “The value of the Cogent Gold Standard was instantly apparent; management competency for a first line supervisor was identified as a skills gap by many countries and they are now planning training programmes to close this gap.”
Plans are also being developed towards establishing a European skills council for the chemical sector
The Gold Standard framework employers can be confident employees’ skills are being developed to an industry standard, leading to improved productivity and enhanced performance. Each Gold Standard job role describes and maps the competencies required. The framework covers a wide range of roles from Level 2 to professional status, across four areas of competence:
- Technical Competence
- Compliance
- Business Improvement
- Functional and Behavioural
The standard agreement was negotiated by Simon Marsh and Alan McGuckin of Unite the Union.
The 27 EU countries will initially use the Gold Standard competency framework for process operator and first line supervisor job roles in the chemical sector, moving onto other roles in due course. This will ensure that individuals undertake training and qualifications that provide them with the right skills and competence for the job.
